


If I Smile, Am I Happy?

by SummerNightsCityLights



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Canon Divergence - Revelation, Corrin gets all the retainers early, Slow Burn, i did this on a whim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 10:03:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13074558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerNightsCityLights/pseuds/SummerNightsCityLights
Summary: Corrin comes to terms with the truth of his upbringing and decides to try and find his family himself. He enlists the help of his retainers and together they find the truth of who his family is, and where they are. This diverges from events in the Revelation route so be careful of spoilers.





	1. Chapter 1

      The long days holed up in the Northern Fortress had taught Corrin many things. One particular thing was that his family that he'd come to love lied to him. They had always told him that he was here because the outside world was unsafe and that it was the best way to keep him safe. He had believed this the first four years here, then he became suspicious for the next two, and finally the last two years he learned, through a pair of loose-lipped servants, that he was actually not a child of King Garon's, but instead some child taken off the streets. When he confronted Camilla and Xander with the news, they grew evasive and brushed the question off. "Of course you our little brother darling, why would you even think otherwise?" Camilla said, her voice dripped with affection for Corrin, but there was something about her smile he had found off.  


After that conversation, the two servants who he had heard the news from just vanished. Knowing what was most likely their fates made Corrin shudder as he strode through the castle halls. Most servants who saw him always greeted him in a friendly manner, always asked him how he was and what he was doing. He'd respond in kind, tell them that he was fine and that he was taking a midnight stroll, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. In reality, every night for the past few months he had secretly been meeting with his most trusted friends in the castle. Turning into the hall that led to their meeting room, he made three quick knocks followed by a strong knock on the door. He watched as the door slowly and cautiously opened, revealing a bit of pink hair behind it. He smiled and shook his head at the sight. Felicia might have been a great sparring partner, but the girl lacked greatly when it came to being sneaky or household chores and this moment just went to prove how true the statement was.

     "Ah, Felicia? I can see your hair you know. It'd probably be best to open the door not standing like that." He quipped as he smoothly walked in and saw the maid frown and quietly scold herself for bumbling this task again.

      Sitting at the table were his other friends. Jakob, his butler and most competent attendant. Gunter, the man that was practically a father to Corrin and who helped train Jakob, Felicia, and Flora in combat. Lilith who had always stuck by Corrin's side no matter what the situation (which drove Camilla mad) and was always willing to lend her shoulder to him. Finally there was Flora, Felicia's older twin sister and quite possibly the one that Corrin had the most doubt about. Despite her usual friendliness and assistance, he always felt something beneath that exterior she displayed and it made him nervous around her. Despite all of this, Felicia and Lilith had adamantly assured him that she was a great person and he allowed her to join them. Jakob and Gunter had their reservations, but listened to the young lord. As he took his seat, Felicia had also gone to take her seat in-between Flora and Jakob. For her part, Flora seemed to play her annoyance at her younger sister's intrusion well.

      "If I may be so bold, what is tonight's topic for discussion milord?" Jakob asked as he poured himself some tea.  
      "I don't believe I can trust anyone else anymore." Corrin said, watching as everyone reacted in comical shock.  
      " _Excuse me_?!" Jakob asked staring dumbfounded by his master's brazenness.

      To his right Gunter and Lilith reacted in similar ways. Lilith stared at him with eyes so large they looked like the might pop out and her mouth would have been perfect for a home for flies. Gunter on the other hand, had gone quiet and his jaw was clenched. Felicia looked the most surprised and had actually ran out of her seat next to her master and assaulted him with a wave of questions. The only person who didn't seem to be too shocked was Flora. Her gaze analyzed him coldly as she tried to figure out his intentions. To his credit, Corrin had thought that this would have gone much worse, and was happy that no one was screaming at him.

      "I've heard rumors that I am not a child of King Garon's and when I brought this up with my siblings, they said I was being silly and gave me the same exact excuse they've been spouting for the past ten years." He said calmly, slowly drinking his tea as he watched all of them try to scramble to some other excuse.

      Jakob had opened his mouth many times as if he was going to say something, but each and every time he closed his mouth at a loss for words. Felicia kept uttering buts and umms, but no real answer would grace her thoughts anytime soon and Corrin's gaze shifted to Gunter, who seemed to be deep in thought if his thousand yard stare was any indication. Lilith passed a sad gaze over everyone as she tried to see if anyone had anything to say. Before she could say something, Flora's voice cut her off.

      "Milord, don't you just think that you're overreacting?" She asked before continuing, "I will agree you have been in this castle for quite some time, but to believe rumors that have no ground to stand on? I believe that you are being quite ridiculous."  
      "If I were truly a child of his, then why was I not sought after by his other children or mistresses? The others have told me about that dark time and how Elise and I were lucky to not be a part of it. It makes no sense, considering I'm older than Leo, that I wasn't involved in that." He replied setting his cup down and staring her down.

      At that the entire room grew quiet and tense. Not even Flora could muster up any of her usual strength to make a reply to what was said. Seeing that his point was taken Corrin closed his eyes. He didn't wish to accuse them as well, but his closest friends might even know something he did not. That made this sting worse than the times Xander, Gunter, or Felicia would spar with him and he got hit with their training weapons. He wouldn't call it outright betrayal, but it was definitely a blow to his trust in them.

      "Fa-, King Garon," Corrin said quickly catching himself, "is going to test me to see if I'm worthy of leaving here soon. When that happens I want you all to be with me. I've come to trust my life with all of you, and if there's even a chance I can find my real family I'm going to need help."

      Shocked expressions rounded the room, but no one made any indication of leaving or saying anything against him, until Jakob, once again, broke the silence by standing up so quickly his chair clattered to the ground.

      "Are you completely mad Lord Corrin?! Do you think they will just let us... just let us... Just let us leave?!" He asked completely baffled with the utter nonsense coming out of his lords mouth.  
      "I agree with young Jakob here milord. Your siblings wouldn't agree with this, let alone King Garon." Gunter added in, standing up now and walking over to help Flora placate Jakob.  
      "You... You're not really planning on going against Nohr... Are you Lord Corrin?" Lilith asked staring at him with a concerned expression.  
      "No, of course not. That would be ridiculous. My real family has to be somewhere in Nohr, whether it be their graves or where they live, I have to find them. So, I'll ask you all this once and only once. Will you come with me? I understand if you don't want to and won't hold it over you." His voice and expression were resolute as he looked around the room.

      He couldn't blame them for being hesitant. In fact he actually quite liked it that they were. Unlike the other servants who either ignored his existence or just thought all he wanted to hear were things that would make him happy, these people actually had the ability to think. His thoughts were interrupted when Flora's hand unexpectedly shot up. To say that Corrin was surprised would be an understatement. He was completely baffled by how resolute she looked and that she was the first one to have something to say. It took him a minute, but he was eventually able to bod at her and tell her she was acknowledged.

      "While I believe it was foolish to assemble all of us and say this, I must say your points and dilemma have gathered my interest. I will help you look for your family." She said putting her hand down and bowing to Corrin.

      Felicia excitedly said that if Flora was going to help, then she was going to as well. Jakob sighed and decided that if Felicia was going to be helping, he would have to be around to make sure she wouldn't mess the plan up, which earned her a heartbroken look from Felicia. Gunter deliberated slightly longer before agreeing to help. Someone had to make sure the children stayed well behaved after all. It took Lilith the longest to come to a conclusion on whether or not she should help. She looked scared, but deeper than that there was an unplaceable look as well. She eventually agreed to help and that she would do anything within her power.


	2. Flora's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a retelling of the first, but from Flora's point of view and a little of what happens afterwards. She and Corrin will be the main characters of this and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There most likely won't be a chapter tomorrow as I will be travelling all day to go home. Hope you all have a great finals week.

      Flora sighed to herself as she cleaned Corrin's room. Truth be told it wasn't necessary for her to do so since he was rarely in his room nowadays. She knew it had to do with those rumors going around about his true lineage and she couldn't have been more amused about the situation. If Corrin wasn't a part of the Nohrian royal line then she was a faceless' mother. Pushing that thought aside, she set out to finish the rest of her chores for the day before she met with Lord Corrin and his group for their nightly meetings. The meetings themselves were just a waste of her time, but she kept coming for two reasons. Felicia and Lilith had both begged Corrin to let her join and she didn't want to come off as suspicious and the other reason was because Jakob was there. Ever since she had been forced to serve Corrin she was always miserable. Separated from her father and tribe, forced to keep her sister safe and in the dark about their situation, and being used as a pawn in Garon's scheme to keep her people under his thumb made her cold and bitter to Nohrians and Hoshidans alike. The only lights she had in her life were her letters to her father, her sister, and Jakob.

      He was a dedicated man that would do everything in his power to make his master happy. Unfortunately his master was Corrin as well. While their conversations had started mostly about work and how to properly do their job, Flora felt that slowly she and Jakob were getting closer. Instead of their conversations being dominated by how to make Corrin happy they slowly encroached on talking about mundane things to the weather and their days to if the other person had read anything interesting or saw anything of note. It made her heart flutter with warmth as she conversed with him. She hoped that one day she could express her feelings for him, but for now she would be happy just being around him.

      When the time eventually came for the meeting she arrived just seconds later than Lilith did. As she walked in she saw Lilith setting the table and asked, "Do you need any help?"

      She looked at Flora and smiled, "It's fine. Just sit down and relax. You must have had a hard day."

      While she wouldn't argue against that, her day had been relatively easy since Felicia wasn't put on a shift with her as well. Jakob entered the room about five minutes later and greeted Flora and Lilith. He took his seat near Flora and she could feel her heartbeat in her chest as he asked her about the book she had been reading.

      "Oh, the book? It's great really, it started off a tad slow for my taste, but I'm glad I kept with it, it really is a great read," she said her face flushing slightly.

      "I'm glad you liked my recommendation. When I first read the book, I thought the same as you, but when you look back at the beginning there is quite a bit of foreshadowing that could easily be missed," he replied with a smile.

      Flora was so happy nothing could ruin her mood. Or so she thought before Felicia burst into the room tripping and falling on her face. Luckily she hadn't been carrying anything she could have spilled, but it looked like that tumble had been quite painful. Rushing over to her sister Flora helped her up, scolding her to be more careful. She sighed and went to sit back down Jakob shaking his head at Felicia's shameful display. What once was a blush of excitement, was now one of embarrassment as Felicia rubbed her nose. Breaking the tension was Gunter entering the room. The old knight took a look around the room and shook his head knowing all too well what had just transpired and sat down next to Lilith's seat. Gunter always sent Flora mixed messages whenever she saw him. One moment he would be strict and easy to provoke and the next he would talk to you as if he was talking to a child he just scolded. To say that he was similar to her father wouldn't be a stretch. He was a kind man deep down that cared for the group like a father would. He also only asked Felicia to help in training Corrin alongside him as well.

      "I see we've all gathered early again," he said accepting the cup of tea Lilith offered him.

      "Best not to have Lord Corrin wait," Jakob replied taking a cup and pouring himself tea.

      The chatter they all had amongst themselves while they waited for the signal from Corrin. Hearing Gunter's tales off his time on the battlefield always interested Flora the most of his stories. She thought that if she heard these stories maybe one day she could learn to be as strong or skilled as those soldiers one day. A baseless and hopeless endeavor, she knew, but it wouldn't stop her from having dreams. As his story ended Corrin's signal rang out and Felicia rushed out of her seat to slowly open the door. Sadly, her attempts at stealth were immediately crushed when she stuck her head a bit too far out and it showed through the crack in the door. While Flora and Jakob shook their heads in disappointment, Lilith and Gunter both had amused expressions on their faces.

      Corrin entered making a joke about seeing Felicia and her expression quickly turned into a frown as she slowly walked and sat down in between her and Jakob. Flora furrowed her brow, but quickly smoothed her expression out and made a comment about Felicia forgetting where she normally sat. She didn't mean to be cruel to her sister, but she took enough things away from Flora and she would be damned if she let her sister have Jakob as well. These feelings were irrational and she knew that Felicia would never do that to her, but she couldn't help but feel envious of all the things her sister has been praised for. Her thoughts were quickly cut off when Jakob asked what they were meeting about.

      When he responded with saying he couldn't trust anyone outside of this room the scene would have been comical had everyone not been at the edge of their seats in shock. Felicia had reacted in the most ridiculous manner per usual. She had immediately gotten out of her seat and ran to Corrin's side hitting him with a barrage of questions. None of this mattered to Flora, however, as she knew how these tricks were. You play the crowd to get a reaction out of them, to see if they would follow you. Once they did you revealed it to be a trap and have that person be convicted of insurrection or being a spy and they would be punished with death. She'd seen far too many servants do this to each other to fall for it now, and instead stared the older man down with a gaze so cold, the sun might have been frozen with it.

      When he noticed no one was going to say anything he continued, talking about that trivial rumor that had been spreading about him. If she weren't in eyesight her eyes might have rolled so hard they fell out of their sockets. If he thought he was going to win them over with that weak excuse he had another thing coming. She thought she wasn't the only one to think so until she noticed that everyone in the room had gone deathly quiet. Not even Jakob could come up with anything to say, so Flora decided she would be the one to bring reason back to this ridiculous topic.

      "Milord, don't you just think that you're overreacting?" She asked before continuing, "I will agree you have been in this castle for quite some time, but to believe rumors that have no ground to stand on? I believe that you are being quite ridiculous."

      "If I were truly a child of his, then why was I not sought after by his other children or mistresses? The others have told me about that dark time and how Elise and I were lucky to not be a part of it. It makes no sense considering I'm older than Leo, that I wasn't involved in that." He replied setting his cup down and staring her down.

      His cold gaze made even her shudder and she lost the strength of her argument. It was true that Garon's concubines all used their children as tools to get closer to him, and it was also true Elise was born at the end of that horrific event. So why did his siblings all say he was lucky? He was older than Leo by a year so that meant he would have had to be part of the fallout... Unless, he wasn't actually related to them. This new theory made Flora's head spin as she struggled to come to terms with this new knowledge. If Corrin was telling the truth, then that means that he was in a similar situation to her. Taken from his home and forced to live under oppressive Nohiran rule. She cut herself off there. Just because he was possibly taken from his home didn't mean that he lived like her. He didn't know the hardships of having your entire tribe rest with your actions, or the struggles of trying to keep your family alive. The Nohrian royals loved him, they treated him like family, and what hardships did he know? Flora mentally reprimanded herself for almost feeling like she could connect with Corrin.

      When the topic of possibly leaving the Northern Fortress and going to find his family was brought up, Jakob had lost his composure. He usually never spoke out against Corrin, but the circumstances seemed to be enough to make him question his lord. Gunter had finally roused himself out of his thoughts at the scene and after agreeing with Jakob's point went to help Flora calm him down. She put her hands on Jakob's arm and tried to lead him to sit down in the chair Gunter had picked up and told him that it would be okay and he should calm down. It made her feel warm and fuzzy that she was actually being of use to someone as she noticed Jakob relax and regain his composure.

      When Lilith's question of going against Nohr was answered, Flora felt for the second time that day a sort of connection with Corrin. He felt so adamantly that his family wasn't the Nohrian royals and that they had to be out there somewhere. Putting aside her resentment for him and the other Nohrians for just a minute, she looked at all the evidence from the past and the present and came to a conclusion she felt even her father would be proud of. She raised her hand to speak and said, "While I believe it was foolish to assemble all of us and say this, I must say your points and dilemma have gathered my interest. I will help you look for your family."

      The shock on his face made Flora smile as she bowed and sat down. Felicia's excited outburst at her joining as well was slowly met with everyone else agreeing to help as well. The conversation went on for a little while longer before it finally came to an end with Corrin discussing his plans if he succeeded in winning King Garon's favor. He smiled and bid them all farewell, being the first person to leave the room. Jakob and Lilith stayed behind to clean up the room and Felicia dragged Flora out of the room so that she could speak to her about sending a letter to their father about their new mission. Flroa sighed, "You know the letters aren't meant for that Felicia. Anyways, the people who deliver these letters most likely read them. If this news got out it would bring disaster on us all."

      At this Felicia frowned, but she quickly rebounded and said, "But did you see Lord Corrin? He looked so happy when we all said we would be with him!"

      "Did he?" Flora asked pausing for a moment, "he looked sad to me."

      "Sad? B-But he was smiling!" Felicia said looking back at her sister.

      It was true, Corrin had been smiling almost the entire time after they agreed to go with him, but "It never met his eyes." Flora stated out loud as the sisters walked down the hall.


End file.
